01/30/2010

A night after grabbing the East's second seed and first place in the division, the Hawks relinquished both Saturday night. Looking sluggish, anemic and completely ill-equipped to deal with the presence of Dwight Howard, the Hawks returned to earth in a 104-86 road loss to the Magic. Behind a herculean 31 and 19 from Howard, Orlando cruised through much of the second half after Atlanta's offense fell apart in the third quarter. Down 5 at the half, the deficit swelled to as much as 18 as the Hawks shooting betrayed them. The team settled for too many jump shots, and made too few, shooting just 39.5 % from the floor for the game. The result was a field day for Howard on the glass, who sparked a 16-2 run in the third quarter that iced the game away for good.

Perhaps the poor shooting can be attributed to the after effects of a grueling contest with Boston the night before. Or maybe the Magic just bring out the worst in Atlanta. Their long and athletic wings neutralize Atlanta's greatest strength (long, athletic wings) and there is no answer for the dominance and strength of Howard, who continues to solidify himself as the game's top young big man.

As well as the Hawks have played vs the Celtics this season, they've been equally poor against the Magic. In the two meetings prior to this one, the Hawks fell by margins of 17 and 34 points. With a third embarrassing loss in the books to their division rival, one has to wonder if the Hawks are constructed to play with the Magic.

Al Horford is a great young center against 29 of the 30 teams in the league, but he has repeatedly been abused in head to head match ups with Howard, and exposed for the power forward playing out of position that he is. Things only got worse with Al out of the lineup, as Zaza Pachulia picked up 3 fouls in 90 seconds and ended up fouling out with 2 points in just 14 minutes.

Josh Smith looked frustrated all night, and showed signs of regression (read: jump shots) in his much improved shot selection and offensive awareness. Joe Johnson scored 19 points but received little help his backcourt mates. Jamal Crawford ended up with 19 points but shot only 6-17 and was unable to connect from outside. He and Maurice Evans combined to shoot 2-11 from three point range.

Without an option in the front court who can neutralize Howard, the Magic will continue to have the upper hand in these match ups.

01/29/2010

It was far from graceful, but the Hawks outlasted the Celtics for a 100-91 win, claiming sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference. It also sealed a season sweep of the Celtics, something Atlanta had never done when both teams owned winning records.

Jamal Crawford carried the Hawks in the first half, and Joe Johnson did the rest, as the Hawks hung on to beat Boston for the fourth time in as many tries this season. Despite a cagey performance from Paul Pierce (35 points on 11-15 shooting, making 12-13 from the foul line) Boston fell for the second straight night.

After a frustrating third-quarter that saw the Celtics pull within one on the strength of 20 free throw attempts, it looked as though the Hawks might squander a 14-point lead. That's when Johnson took over, scoring 16 points in the final stanza, including a backbreaking three over Paul Pierce with 1:24 remaining.

Jamal Crawford (28 points) led the team in scoring for the 18th time, and ignited the Hawks with his half-court shot at the end of the first quarter, giving the Hawks a one point lead that they would never relinquish.

For the reeling Celtics, who have lost 5 of 7, it was another painful reminder that they no longer reside atop the Eastern Conference, as their well-worn intimidation tactics and referee baiting could not help them past a team of superior athleticism for the second-straight night.

After such a grueling and emotionally draining victory over the Celts, one has to wonder if the Hawks will suffer a letdown tomorrow night vs. Orlando. At 30-16, the Magic sit just a half-game behind Atlanta for first in the Southeast division.

But the Magic can wait until tomorrow. For now, owning Boston is good enough.

The Hawks stumbled in San Antonio Wednesday, but return to Philips Arena tonight with a chance to sweep the season series over the Celtics for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

Atlanta has won 8 of their last 11 and sits just a half-game back of Boston for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks easily won the last two meetings between these teams, both in January, and both when the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett. Garnett is trying to recover from the hyperextended knee that caused him to miss both games vs. the Hawks in January, but looked hobbled last night in Orlando, shooting 2 of 8 from the field and getting beat to the baseline by Rashard Lewis for the game-winning layup.

Despite the Celtics attempts to downplay the rivalry, you can bet they'll be seeking to avoid a season sweep to their little brothers in the East. The Hawks lost all four games vs. the Celtics last season and have a long history of playoff failures in Boston. In a match-up that almost certainly provides a playoff preview, the Hawks seem to finally have the psychological edge over the Big Bad Boston Celtics, and have a chance to prove it tonight.

The showdown with Boston is just the first of two big games for the Hawks this weekend, who play Orlando on the road Saturday. After Orlando's last-second victory over these same Celtics last night, the Magic pulled to within percentage points of first place.

With two big games this weekend, the Hawks have an opportunity to seize control of the Eastern Conference's second-seed, as well as distance themselves from Orlando in the Southeast Division

01/28/2010

It was expected that Joe Johnson would be headed to the All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. What few expected, was that a second Hawk was selected, and it wasn't Josh Smith. The names won't officially be announced until Thursday, but Yahoo!sports reports that Al Horford will join Johnson in Dallas. It will be Horford's first All-Star Game, and the fourth straight selection for Johnson. Here's a complete list of All-Star reserves:

01/27/2010

Before I get into the South roster, and which players Falcons fans in particular should be watching Saturday, I'd like to thank NFL Network for its coverage of the week's practices. For pathetic losers like myself, it's great mid-afternoon viewing. Mark Mayock, in particular, keeps me in stitches with his creative vocabulary. Where else could we hear Dexter McCluster compared to Percy Harvin in terms of "explosion and propulsion"? (The NFL, where propellers happen!)

Propellers aside, let's take a look at some players to watch from the South:

South Team

Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina- Norwood is more of an undersized defensive end than a true outside linebacker, but he rushes the passer like few others in this draft. Whether or not he can play in the 4-3 remains to be seen, but the Falcons could take a shot at Norwood if he's there in the mid-rounds. Paired with Abraham on passing downs, he could greatly assist in getting pressure on the quarterback, which was a glaring weakness of the team this year. Projected Round: 3rd

Cameron Sheffield and Brandon Lang, LB/DE, Troy- I mention these two together because as a tandem they were highly productive in college, combining for 14.5 sacks. Troy has a proud tradition of pass rushers which includes DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora. Sheffield is practicing as a linebacker in Mobile, and its unclear if Lang has the size to be a 4-3 defensive end either, but they've both had solid weeks of practice and could be solid pass-rush options in the draft's second day. Projected Round: 3rd-5th

Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami- There are several solid tight end prospects on the South roster, including Alabama's Colin Peek and USC's Anthony McCoy. But Graham is intriguing for two reasons: his 6'6 255 frame, and the fact that like Tony Gonzalez, he's a converted hoops player. Graham averaged 18 minutes a game for the Hurricanes basketball team before trying football as a senior. This is certainly a project but the athleticism and untapped potential is tantalizing. In a loaded tight end class, he could be there for rounds 4 or 5. Projected Round: Late 3rd/4th

Jason Heyward is the best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The 20-year old from Henry County has a shot to crack the Braves opening day roster, and looks to be a cross between Jermaine Dye, Dale Murphy and Willie McCovey. If his minor league stats are any indication, Heyward projects as a .330 hitter with 20-25 home run power. Expect those in the front office to wring their hands over the decision to promote him to the big club by opening day. Liberty Media would like to wait, because the earlier they call him up, the earlier he'll be eligible for arbitration. Heyward could take the decision out of the front office's hands with a strong spring, because if it's one thing the Braves lack more than money, it's a corner outfielder. Expect Bobby Cox to give the kid every chance to win the right field job.

The Braves are not interested in Johnny Damon, according to Chris Calcaretta of nbcsports.com. This greatly increases the chances Heyward is in Turner Field on opening day.

With the Super Bowl two weeks away, and just one Falcon in the Pro Bowl that nobody wants to play in (or watch for that matter), there's only one football game that matters this weekend. The top seniors in college football are in Mobile, AL this week, working with NFL coaching staffs and auditioning for scouts, leading up to the annual Senior Bowl game this Saturday.

While much has been made about Tim Tebow's disappointing performance so far, and Terrence Cody looking more like Proposition Joe from "The Wire" than a top prospect, there are plenty of other players to check out if you're a Falcons fan. Here are some players to keep an eye on this Saturday:

North Team

Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri Listed at 6'0, 241, Weatherspoon is a two-time finalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to college football's top linebacker. He'd be a great addition to the LB corps, infusing some youth while still maintaining the size and toughness of veteran starter Mike Peterson. Projected Round: Late 1st/Early 2nd

Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State Wilson has had such a great week of practice in Mobile, he is likely playing himself into the first round. Brent Grimes and Chris Houston continued to get picked on by bigger WRs last season, and second-year Chevis Jackson and rookie Chris Owens failed to emerge, making cornerback a position of need for the third-straight Falcons draft. At 5'10, 190, with prototypical speed, Wilson has supplanted FSU's Patrick Robinson as the number one senior cornerback, and Dimitroff would have to take a long look at him if Weatherspoon and the other top linebackers are off the board. Projected Round: Late 1st/Early 2nd.

Daryl Washington, OLB, TCU Washington was overshadowed by teammate Jerry Owens, was equally important to TCU's defense, leading the Horned Frogs in tackles last season as an inside linebacker in the 4-2-5. A bit on the lighter side at 6'2, 226, he uses his speed and quickness to get into the hole. Washington could easily step in to the weak side LB spot currently occupied by Coy Wire or the become a successor to Peterson on the strong side. If Dimitroff opts to pass on a linebacker in round 1, Washington could be a steal in the third round. Projected Round: 3rd

Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon A big target at 6'4, 244, Dickson was very productive in the Pac-10 and graduates as Oregon's all time leading receiver among tight ends. While it's not a need pick, Dickson would provide great value if selected in round 3. It'd be hard to turn down a productive young tight end who could someday take over for Tony Gonzalez. Projected Round: 3rd

For more thoughts on the Senior Bowl, including who the Falcons will be looking at from the South roster, check back for Part 2 tomorrow.

01/26/2010

The Hawks dismantled the Houston Rockets Monday night, giving them their first victory in Clutch City since 1999. It was another psychological obstacle cleared for the once-up-and-coming squad, which now resides squarely in the Eastern Conference's elite.

With Atlanta on pace for its first 50-win season since the Clinton Administration (weird how that's now a long enough ago administration it can be referenced historically), let's take a look at the biggest reason why. It's not the play of Joe Johnson, though his workmanlike 21 points and 5 assists per game have certainly helped, we've come to expect that type of performance from the should-be All-Star starter. It's not the deeper bench either, led by veteran big man Joe Smith and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamal Crawford, though again, they've certainly helped.

Rather, this Hawks team's maturation can be directly attributed to that of 24-year old Josh Smith. The power forward from College Park, GA has always been abundantly talented, but was quickly becoming more known for his attitude. His public feud with Coach Mike Woodson spanned the better part of three seasons, with Smith being characterized as erratic at best, a saboteur at worst. Once known for his penchant for taking (and missing) three-pointers, Smith has only attempted three this season, down from 87 a year ago. Smith's insistence on shooting ill-advised shots had gotten so bad, fans at Philips Arena began to scream this in unison whenever the lefty would cock the ball behind his ear to trigger his trademark heave-ho jumper.

But instead of giving up on each other, Woodson and Smith pressed on, opting to coexist, if not cooperate, sort of like a bizarro version of the Lockhorns. Now, instead of jacking threes, pouting during timeouts and subverting his coach, Smith is doing all the little things for this team; running the floor, chasing down rebounds, avoiding bad shots and filling up his stat sheet along the way. Take Monday's game for example: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 steals. Pretty nice line right? That's before you mention his terrorization of Houston's front court, as he held Luis Scola and Carl Landry to just 7 field goals combined. As a team, the Rockets shot just 39% and missed 11 of 12 at one point. For Smoove, it was the eleventh game in which he created at least 5 turnovers for his team (steals+blocks) and his eighth game with at least 4 blocks.

Just a half-game back from Boston for the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and with an NBA-best 20 victories by ten or more points, J-Smoove and the Hawks are finally flying high. No longer up-and-comers, only comers, it's not a leap to consider them one of basketball's best teams and a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. And it's thanks in large part to Josh Smith finally matching the leadership and drive of team captain Joe Johnson.

Josh Smith, a leader. Sounds crazy, right? Only until you consider that "Hawks, contenders" no longer is.

01/25/2010

What had been a relatively
lack-luster postseason was saved Sunday by a fabulously
entertaining conference championship round. Here are some quick thoughts
on the weekend's games:

Jets- Colts

- Remember when it was widely considered that Peyton Manning couldn't
get it done in the clutch? Manning's performance yesterday was
remarkable, not because of his nearly 400 yards and 3 touchdowns vs. the Jets
top-ranked D, but because it is what we have now come to expect. Even
down 17-13 at halftime, did you have any doubt that The Conductor would come back
out and lead the Colts down the field for the necessary scores? With his
number one receiver, Reggie Wayne, marooned on "Revis Island" all
game , Manning found other ways to win, using break out sensations Pierre
Garcon and Austin Collie. Finding the Dwight Lowery
Peninsula a bit more visitable, Garcon and Collie, who were
complete unknowns before the season, combined to haul in 18 receptions and
accounted for 274 of Manning's 370 passing yards. After carving up a top
defense in yet another big game, this time without the presence of Marvin
Harrison (or Wayne for that matter), any question about Manning's ability in
big moments should be stricken from record.

- I was expecting Manning to be great in this game, but what I didn't
expect, was how impressed I was by Mark Sanchez. With apologies to deadspin.com,
he really did look poised out there. Against a fast and aggressive
Indianapolis defense, Sanchez looked like a veteran,
surrendering no sacks on the day and throwing for 257 yards. His final
throw was an interception, but I can forgive that since his team was down two
scores in the waning minutes. Too many young QBs attempt to do too much
in these situations, and end up forcing or rushing throws. I think
Sanchez has a chance to continue to grow into a good NFL quarterback. Paired
with promising rookie runner Shonn Greene, tight end Justin Keller, and the
enigmatic but talented Braylon Edwards, the Jets could have a dynamic young
offense for years to come.

Vikings- Saints

- For all the talk going in about how this would be an up-and-down
affair, both offenses bogged down for much of the game. There were a
staggering amount of mental mistakes and turnovers, including one
particularly comical stretch that featured both teams swapping fumbles on back
to back drives. Reggie Bush's muffed punt just before halftime looked
like it would be a killer for New Orleans. A fumbled snap just two plays later
gave the ball right back to New Orleans.

- For Bush, who had seemed to finally win over fans with his breakout
performance a week before vs. Arizona, it was another gaffe in his up-and-down
career. Whether it is stubbornly trying to bounce runs to the outside, or
refusing to fair catch a punt, much of his struggles are a result of his failure
to accept his limitations and trying to do too much.

- Speaking of fumbles, this game featured a lot of them. In a game
featuring two-tortured fan bases, neither team seemed to intent on getting out
of its own way at points in the game. As much as Saints fans have been
through (28 losing seasons in 42 years), it's hard not to feel for Vikings fans
as the Ghost of Gary
Andersen continues to loom over them in NFC Championship games. It
is one of the few long-suffering fan bases who can match the Saints in terms of
suffering.

- It would be remiss to mention fumbles and not bring up Adrian
Peterson, who had a fabulous game, but put the ball on the turf twice only to
see his team recover both times. Widely considered the best running back in
football, "All Day" continues to struggle mightily with ball
security, losing 12 fumbles in his first three seasons. Like Shaq's
free throw shooting, Sergio's putting, or McGwire's honesty, it's a glaring
flaw in his game that is holding him back from greatness. I'll take the
Titans' Chris Johnson until Peterson can stop dropping balls like it's New
Year's Eve.

- Another season, another season-ending interception for Brett Favre.
Whether or not this is his last, I don't care, I'm just glad he's still
out there winging it like a kid, having fun out there. Unfortunately for
Favre, throwing across your body becomes precipitously less "fun" for
your fans to watch the later you get into your 40s.

After a fabulously entertaining championship weekend, we're looking at
two weeks without real football (I'm not even going to acknowledge that other
Bowl game in Miami that I'm not even acknowledging), two weeks of Favre
retirement talk, two weeks of Brees/Manning comparisons, two weeks of Pierre
Garcon vs. Pierre Thomas jokes (The Pierre Bowl!) and two weeks of
ananticipation for what should be the most entertaining Super Bowl in recent
memory.

A few links to help cure Post-Football Depression:

- John Hollinger of ESPN has released his midseason awards.
I have to take issue with his selection of Houston's Carl Landry as Best
Sixth Man, over Jamal Crawford. "Instant Crawfense" has been
the top scorer for the Hawks in 15 games this year, and is averaging 17 PPG for
a team that is a half-game behind the Celts for second place in the East.

- In the Delusions of Grandeur department, the city of Orlando would like a professional baseball
team. Barring the obvious questions about how a third city
in Florida would succeed in drawing consistent crowds where two have already failed, especially one
without a season-ticket base, my question is this: Shouldn't they be thankful
that they get to watch the great Jason Heyward every day this spring training?

- In case you missed it, the Orioles signed Miguel Tejada for a
second go-round, this time to play third base. Tejada's attitude and
demeanor was seen as a detriment to clubhouse chemistry the first time around.
A Baltimore Sun blogger says the key to this reunion is to Miggy him from sulking. If
I'm the Orioles, I bank on Tejada being more mature two years later,
given that he's now four years
older. For a Baltimore club well-stocked in
promising young position players, the Tejada reunion will be a compelling story
line as the Baby O's try to return to relevance in the AL East.

- This kid likes Peanut Butter a lot,
and he wants to tell you about it. Body paint, another feather in the cap
of the great George Washington Carver.

- Sonny Perdue wants to spend
more money Georgia
doesn't have, asking to divert $34M from the HOPE program and
reroute it elsewhere to alleviate budget shortfalls. I guess we need to
get out there and buy more lotto tickets.

01/22/2010

Welcome to Hinske, Glaus and Wren: Attorneys at LOL. Mr. Wren will be ready to meet you in just a moment. Feel free to wait in the the lobby, where incense burns (the scent? "Playoff Hopes") As Ludacris' "Rollout" plays over the speakers, feel free to thumb through a magazine, including People's Oscar Preview, which pits heavily favored Chicago vs. Gangs of New York for Best Picture.

What's that you ask? What year is this? What do you mean what year is this? It's 2002! Wait, what? It's not? Then what the hell are Eric Hinske and Troy Glaus doing here???

If you're like me, you would like an answer to that same question. If this is not actually 2002, then why did the Braves build their offseason around the "big bats" of two guys who were last good in 2002? One of which, Hinske, who was onlygood in 2002?

The answer, is simple. Frank Wren has no idea what he's doing. He's managed to completely undo 20 years of great franchise building in a fraction of the time. Maybe I'm spoiled, actually, I'm definitely spoiled, and I have every right to be. Since the time I could form memories, the Braves have been good.

Or at least, they were good, all the way through 2005, when Brad Ausmus connected on a Kyle Farnsworth(less) fastball in Houston to send game 4 of the Division Series to extra innings. Nine innings later, punchless Chris Burke popped one over the left-field porch to effectively finish off the Braves dynasty.

Soon after that, John Schuerholz stepped down, and named Frank Wren his successor. 5 years later, we're still wondering when Braves baseballwill return. Just when it seemed like the Frank Wren era was finally going in the right direction, with a great pitching staff assembled, and the promise of a fruitful offseason sure to yield us a "big bat", Wren does the unthinkable, unloading our biggest trading chip (Javier Vazquez) for a Melky Cabera, a 4th-outfielder.

So, having unloaded his greatest asset, and still failing to address the club's biggest need, Wren, in typical post-Turner Braves fashion, scoured the bargain bin, hoping to find us that "big bat" he promised us at base-level price.

Which brings us back to Hinske and Glaus. Hinske won the rookie of the year award in '02, and has been steadily mediocresince. Glaus, who once promised to be one of baseball's elite third baseman (yep, you guessed it, in 2002), has good power but hasshown very little elsein the way of average, defense, or the ability to stay healthy.

But hey, when you have a chance to add a guy who missed 150 games last season, and one who peaked as a rookie seven years ago, you gotta do it right?

Oh and here's the best part, the Glaus/Hinske combo is not expected to serve in a bench role, nope, it's the Braves EVERYDAY OPTION at first base. That's right, we bristled at the opportunity to bring back a fan-favorite with 30 HR power (Adam LaRoche, now with Arizona) in order to employ two guys who have barely played the position, one of whom is washed up, and the other who was never washed down that long in the first place.

Frank Wren, I know you're not reading this, as you're too busy shining Schuerholz's shoes, or watering his grass, or painting his fence, or whatever Mr. Miyagi-type tasks he has you doing when you're not running his pride and joy into the ground, but here's a tip, stop expecting your fans to pretend it's 2002, ok? Employing the Glaus/Hinske combo as your everyday first base platoon is the equivalent to DJ Drama putting out a new mixtape, and leading it off with J-Lo's"Jenny From the Block"and Luda's "Rollout" as its first two tracks.

Please, Frank Wren, for the spoiled-rotten Braves fans everywhere,pleaseget the hell out of the bizness, the biznass.